


scraps of iron and honey on my tongue

by mayuuunaise



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Final Haikyuu Quest, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/M, Gen, M/M, Multi, also most likely everyone will be here at some point or the other lol, fae!reader, just know that this is going to be a long ride, listen i'll add to the tags later
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-25
Updated: 2019-03-30
Packaged: 2019-07-02 08:51:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,002
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15793167
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mayuuunaise/pseuds/mayuuunaise
Summary: Iwaizumi reckons it should have been obvious: never trust a fae to do a knight’s job. And yet he still does, like the absolute fool he is. You suppose it could be considered a little endearing and join him on his ridiculous whim to overthrow the demon king.





	1. invite them not into thy home or in your dreams

Iwaizumi’s parents warns him, time and time again, to at least be a little wary of his surroundings and the people he spends his time with. Like any curious boy, Iwaizumi doesn’t think much of it and soldiers on, hungry for whatever grand adventure is set for him this time. Adventures and outings with Oikawa often are, and is partly the reason he chooses not to tell his parents about the pretty boy he meets by the edge of the forest to play with. He doesn’t even think twice about what kind of child would live deep enough in the forest that the local children wouldn’t even know of. (Iwaizumi will understand later on in his life that this particular childhood decision is not one of his wisest moves.)

Instead, Iwaizumi follows Oikawa’s light footsteps and lilting laugh without any regard for safety whatsoever. He lets the former lead, like always, until Iwaizumi realizes that this is a sector of the forest that he has definitely not been to before (nor is it one that his father recommends for sightseeing and play).

Iwaizumi’s sprinting strides slow to a brisk walk, taking in the unfamiliar surroundings. The trees are taller and loom more ominously, blocking the bright summer sky from view. He opens his mouth to call out stupid Oikawa’s name, but stops short when he hears a soft little giggle.

He turns towards the voice, confident that it is his mischievous friend once again playing tricks on him. Instead, he sees you.

Something in the pit of his stomach churns, ice cold as his eyes catch sight of the pointed ears on the side of your head. Iwaizumi has heard of tales of the Fae who guard the deeper sectors of the forest, ones untainted by humans and the war. He has never actually _seen_ one before, and the sight of you leaves him transfixed. Iwaizumi is unsure if it is magic that leaves him unable to look away, or if it is because he has never seen a creature so _beautiful_ before.

There is something otherworldly about you, but his nine-years-young brain doesn’t quite have the vocabulary for it. Perhaps it’s in the crooked tilt of your lips, or the crinkles in your bright eyes. 

“Hello, Little One,” your voice sounds too young yet too old all at the same time. You look about his age, he reckons, but the way you carry yourself, the straight line of your back and the air in your steps remind him that the fae don’t age like the humans do. You could be centuries old or months young and Iwaizumi wouldn’t know the difference.

But Iwaizumi is still a child, and he knows that the Fae aren’t so malicious to children. He knows that the Fae aren’t even evil at all. They protect their kin, bring good luck to polite passersby, bless the harvest for the year and all that to counter every tale of lost villagers and ruins of war. The spark in your eye tell him you mean no harm, but Iwaizumi can’t help the thundering in his chest. He wonders, fleetingly, if he’ll even be able to say goodbye to Oikawa at the very least. Iwaizumi stands still, shoulders stiff and hands at his sides like a trained soldier. He knows enough to remind himself of warnings of the Fae, that they don’t take _attitude_ lightly and if he isn’t as polite as he can be, his mother will never see her eldest son ever again.

Your smile is sweet as honey, when you tell him your name. It’s not your real one, the young boy knows you are not that kind. You reach out a small hand, as if to shake his or pull him in beside you. “And your name, please?”

His green eyes snap back to meet yours, and lets the words tumble out of his mouth before he can even think about it. “You may call me Ainsel.” An old trick the cooky old witch living near the edge of the cliff tells him this, and when your eyes open wide to appraise him, Iwaizumi isn’t quite sure whether it works or he has signed himself up to become your newest pet.

Instead, you throw your head back and laugh heartily at his thoughtless answer. 

“Clever thing you are, Little One,” you tut with a sharp grin. Iwaizumi feels his breath leave his lungs, shoulders sagging at the release of tension. “For that, I’ll let you go, just this once,” you promise him. Iwaizumi understands that this may be his cue to go, his only chance of escaping the situation in the politest way he can. 

In the distance, Iwaizumi can hear Oikawa’s voice yelling in urgency. He thinks he can almost hear the sobs as well, that crybaby. 

Your posture straightens at the sound of Oikawa nearing, and though there is a part of Iwaizumi that fears you changing your mind, he finds it oddly confusing when you look back at him with a newfound sparkle in your gaze. It’s as if you have found something incredibly intriguing in him. “Protected? _My_ , you certainly are an interesting fellow, Little One,” the grin you send him isn’t as sharp, but sends a shiver straight down his spine. Your words don’t make any sort of sense to him, but the gleam in your eyes let him know that this might be something he would never want to understand.

Iwaizumi takes a tentative step back. When your expression doesn’t change, he makes a quick pirouette and runs blindly towards the sound of movement. Your soft giggles linger in his head, even as he crashes into a sobbing Oikawa, warm chocolate eyes rimmed red with tears.

* * *

Hajime learns, when he stumbles back into the village later when the moon has risen, that he has apparently been gone for three days. His father had been about ready to start searching neighbouring towns and the local witches when the young boy awkwardly shuffles in his father’s forge just before supper. Hajime doesn’t understand how time moves so differently in the forest, but perhaps he and Oikawa had not even been in the same woods they entered.

Your face, charming and sly, come to mind and he unconsciously slips with the information over dinner. His mother stares at him with horror. His brothers, too young to understand, casually ask him what the Fae are like and if they really are like the little goblins that roam the mountains. He thinks, and shakes his head no, only remembering you to be nothing but beautiful. His mother quickly changes the subject and asks him not to go back to the forest by himself, ever again.

That night, Hajime’s father gives him his first iron dagger, and asks that he keep it with him at all times. 

* * *

It is almost decades later when he understands just how much danger he really was that afternoon in the heart of the forest. He guesses he should be considered lucky, Matsukawa and Hanamaki always say so when they hear that particular tale.

Oikawa often bristles at his anecdote, though he isn’t sure whether it is because it is this idiot demon’s fault in the first place he was in such a mess, or something else entirely. After years of being by his side, he’s learned that King of Demons he may have come to be, there are certain jurisdictions that he simply cannot cross. Some laws of the olde, he shrugs. Hanamaki, who is distantly part Fae (grandfather from his mother’s side was the halfbreed son of a satyr), assures him that his disdain for their chaotically neutral brethren are entirely on Oikawa.

Sometimes, he hears your laughter still. In the in betweens of his dreams and lucidity, where the realities of the Fae, the underworldly, and the humans connects. There is always something blocking him from seeing you again, and there are times when Hajime wonders if you would still look the same, after all these years. Surely, human decades passing are but specks in your lifetime.

The day he leaves Seijoh’s castle, furious and betrayed, is the first night he sees you again. Your grin is still sharp, eyes still crinkling playfully, and you’re still as otherworldly beautiful as he remembers. The dream is fleeting, and he almost immediately forgets about it as soon as he wakes.


	2. trust not the smiles and kindness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> when you wake, you hardly think anything will be out of the ordinary, but weary travelers often bring the most annoying surprises.

When you wake, you hear the telltale rustle of tinkling bells that signify someone stepping into your borders. Although normally this wouldn’t surprise you, considering how strategic your location is right in between the territories of the demons of Aoba Johsai and the grand kingdom of Shiratorizawa. Though many travelers venture into your lands in times of prosperity and trade, there has not been too many foolish humans who traverse these woods recently. Not since the start of the war, in any case.

When you step into the light to assess your visitor, you are met with a young human traveler, a small boy who thinks wearing a warrior’s garb and brandishing a broadsword will be enough to call him a man. He looks to be a peculiar one, with features that remind you more of spritely mischief than it does human boy. There is fear in his eyes at his unfamiliar surroundings, but relief washes over him when his gaze lands on you.

You’re not a very intimidating figure, or so you’ve been told, which works just as well. You flash this boy a disarming, sickeningly sweet smile. This seems to do the trick just as easily as it would to a human child, and he wobbles over towards you, transfixed in the way your translucent wings flick in and out of sight.

When he nears enough for you to see how bright his orange hair is, you can only grin wider. A summer child, you decide, which is just as well. You always have had a soft spot for that particular season. 

“Are you lost?” You ask him in a voice too soft and sweet to not be laced with a little bit of enchantment magic. Either this boy is too daft for his own good, or you’re getting more powerful. The warrior only nods in response, unable to produce even a squeak as his eyes shift all over you. This is probably his first time seeing a magical creature up close, you think; how cute. “I can help you,” you tell him your name and reach out a hand. “Just give me your name, please.”

The orange haired boy, still absolutely mesmerized, is spouting off words of thanks and reaches out -

“Oi, Shrimpy, don’t do it!” 

You flinch, ready to hiss at the voice who dares to deny you of your fun when your eyes land on a familiar forest green. He’s older and taller and a little more sure of himself. More handsome as well in a way that the distorted dreams had not been able to tell you. Humans call it an obsession, when you’ve monitored a person for so long, but a Fae’s lifetime is so long it’s barely a blip in your radar. If it were anyone else, you would have sent them to learn exactly why the Fae are feared. But you know your Iwaizumi, your clever Little One you’ve met decades ago.

(You wonder if he knows, if he remembers the twilight rendezvous and the chance encounters, but shove the thoughts to the back of your head. You’re sure Oikawa and his magicians would have made certain he doesn’t.)

The smaller warrior squeaks, having finally detached himself from your enchantment, and jumps back quickly enough that it leaves you a little impressed. There are other members of their party stumbling into your clearing, but your eyes rest solely on the former general of Seijoh’s military forces.

“Hello, Little One,” you croon, standing up to full height. Iwaizumi flinches and his hand automatically curls around the sword he keeps by his side. Steel doesn’t really do much to you, and he is sure to know that. The tall dark haired archer behind him nocks back an arrow with an iron tip trained on you. Now there is a boy who knows his fairy tales. 

There’s something odd about the way Iwaizumi carries himself, as if he’s seeing you for the first time again. It’s when you realize that the real fun might just be beginning.

“Oh,” you breathe out and step closer. The archer looks ready to release, but Iwaizumi raises a hand to stop him. When you’re finally almost a breath’s distance from the knight is when you confirm your speculations. “Your protection seals are fading,” you observe. He has been gone from the demon king’s side for too long,. You wonder if he even realizes what terrors he might attract, knowing just how long Oikawa has been making sure to mark what’s his. This is the trouble with a demon’s mark, you figure; much messier and less straightforward than the Fae’s. 

“Iwaizumi-san knows a fairy?” The orange haired warrior behind him squeaks out in a quiet whisper. The tall archer besides him blanches and quickly delivers an elbow to his gut. Miraculously, his hold on his bow doesn’t slack.

“Dumbass Hinata! Don’t let them know Iwaizumi-san’s name!”

“Wha- you just said it yourself, idiot Kageyama! Oh my gods, I’m going to become a pet. I’m too young to be a pet!”

“It’s alright.” Iwaizumi breathes out to stop the two, eyes still trained on you and hand still gripping the hilt of his blade. You spare an amused glance to the two younger boys arguing behind him. “The important thing is you don’t give it to a Fae directly. It doesn’t matter if they overhear.”

“You always were very clever,” you praise him. You see the edge of his mouth twitch upwards into a handsome smirk. “It really only makes me want you for myself even mo-”

There’s a chill in the air as a familiar (and entirely _unwanted_ ) presence makes itself known to you. You hiss and send a sharp burst of magic towards your left, only to have it blocked by a sheet of green energy. A giant of a man levels you a somber look, fists connecting in concentration only in a way the monks of Date have known. A smaller figure steps out from behind him, sharp eyes bright gold. 

Cat.

You hiss again, snap your fingers to shoot bursts of energy towards the hunched figure out of sheer spite. You know full well just how invincible the shields of Date monks are, that doesn’t stop you from continuing your relatively harmless onslaught. Cats hate the sound, and seeing the small, cloaked witch flinch with every connecting magic sends a sort of malicious glee straight to your spine.

“Okay, that’s enough,” he barely manages to croak out before he throws something shiny and glittery towards you. “Shouyou, now!”

You barely have time to react when the small warrior boy comes out of nowhere (how is he so fast? Now you’re certain this boy has sprite blood in him) and snatches whatever item the insufferable witch threw at you in mid air. With a quick snap you feel something warm envelope your wrist and look down to see a wide, toothy grin. Realization is slow to hit you until you feel the magic in your blood shoot quickly down, down, down and away from you.

You quickly snatch your hands away from Hinata and stare at the twin golden bracelets now latched onto your wrists. The red lining the jewelry glinting in the light is familiar. _Rowan fruit._ You shoot a seething glare at the white robed witch. The blonde retreats further behind the monk who has since released his hold on the shield. You can see him hiding a smirk behind his hood and you can only hiss menacingly in response. 

You see the archer beside Iwaizumi slowly lower his bow, which really only further spurs you on. How dare they underestimate you, just because they have most of your magic drained from your very being. You try to tug them off in vain, fingers growing warmer and warmer until you’re hissing in pain at the burning sensation. Traces of iron laced with rowan fruits. Smart, but very annoying.

“Watch it,” Iwaizumi scolds, glaring at the way you still stubbornly try to get the bracelets off. You can practically see the veins on his temple throbbing in anger. “You’re going to hurt yourself if you keep that up.”

The bright summer boy far too curious for his own good shuffles closer to you in awe. Kageyama holds him back by the collar of his tunic. Hinata turns back to the witch, “Kenma, did we really just catch a fairy?” He almost vibrates in excitement as the smaller boy turns to look at you. You sneer in response. You do not appreciate being looked at like some kind of _pet_.

(You will manage to laugh at the irony of this moment much, _much_ later)

When your palms start smoking, Iwaizumi takes it upon himself to tear your vice grip from the glinting bracelets. You growl at him, favouritism be damned; you will _not_ be manhandled like this. Iwaizumi stares defiantly back at you. Apparently spending most of your life as the closest known associate to the literal king of demons leaves you with a stronger backbone than most humans.

You _almost_ crack a proud smile. 

“Calm down, Shouyou,” Kenma’s sharp golden eyes flick warily towards you. As he should. “We’re not in the clear yet.”

You huff out sharply through your nose, before taking another deep breathe and standing to your full height. Back straight and proud, you can’t let these imbecilic fragile humans get the better of you. Even with most of your magic depleted, your wrists tingling with an uncomfortable warmth, and one of your arms held tight by Iwaizumi’s grip, you manage to flash a dangerous smirk. “Now, now, witch; this,” your free hand shoots up, giving the bangle a little shake for emphasis. “was completely unnecessary. Stylish, but unnecessary,”

“You made a whole village disappear for a week because some sprite dared you to,” Kenma spits out, apathetic. “I hardly think any of what we did was unnecessary.”

You hold your head a little higher, smirk triumphant, preening like a peacock at the harsh compliment. “Yaku always had such horrible dares,” you reason out, shrugging nonchalantly. “ _Not_ my fault those villagers were so dense.”

“ _Kenma_ knows a fairy?” Everything seems to surprise the summer boy, it’s almost heartening if not entirely annoying. 

“Shut _up_ , Hinata,” Kageyama seethes out, elbowing him hard in the gut once more. Hinata flinches with the impact on his leather plate and lets out a growl at the taller boy. The two almost get into another brawl until they see Iwaizumi sending them sharp glares. The youngest two of the group immediately shrink back in embarrassment.

Iwaizumi sighs, looking disappointed at the both of them. Kageyama seems to retreat further into his brown cloak at the look on the knight’s face. The brunette finally turns back to look at you, as if apologetic about his new job as babysitter of a ragtag group of mercenaries. “What we _mean_ to say is, we took a few precautions because you’re the only one who can help,” His brows furrow handsomely, the grip on your wrist tightening in the slightest . “And the Fae aren’t exactly known to act…” Iwaizumi pauses; you encourage him to choose his next words wisely with a raise of your brow. “Kindly, not to non-Fae,”

“What a rude thing to say,” you comment. Your voice drops to a whisper in order to tease the knight, “Do you steal the hearts of all the royals in Aobajohsai with that crass tongue of yours?”

You notice his jaw tick with forest green eyes quickly shifting to his party. You grin maliciously with glee; of course they don’t know.

“What sort of suicide mission are you all on to even _think_ capturing a Fae as powerful as myself would be a good decision?” You spit out to the rest of them instead, impatient for a response. Even Hinata averts his gaze at your blunt words, and all refuse to speak. You feel the bangles digging into your skin more thoroughly and you’re forced to whip your head back to Iwaizumi to protest. You pause at the look on his face, at the fire burning in his eyes. What he says next is enough to pique even _your_ interest, obviously nothing at all what you expected from him of all people.

“We’re going to stop the Demon King Oikawa.”


	3. listen not to the enchanting lilt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> you did not sign up for this. or maybe you're simply too old to deal with mortal dilemmas.

A week later and you are still traveling southwards away from the confines of your fairy ring. The forest still looks identical to the ones from your side of the woods, but you do have some semblance of geographical knowledge to know that this is not the general directions of Aobajohsai’s stronghold up north. When you try to fish for information on your destination, the witch of a healer makes an uncommitted noise and a mumble of just a village up ahead, it won’t be too long. Kenma has said that for days now and you definitely are not used to traveling on foot. Years of powerful magic with easy accessibility from the tips of your fingers have left you at a disadvantage of a lifetime over your restraints.

The oddball group you’re reluctantly journeying with have been courteous to you, at the very least, in spite of their initial harsh treatment. Hinata likes asking you for stories and any sort of oddball questions that he has, he throws without abandon. Undoubtedly a child as sheltered as he is would be unused to the infamous mischief of a Fae, but you admittedly can’t help how easy and fun it is to trick the boy. All in harmless fun, you tell Iwaizumi when you spot him glaring in disapproval. You can’t do much damage with these bracelets tacked on you anyway. 

Kageyama is an awkward one with a tongue as blunt a Fae’s that gets him into trouble more times than you can count. However, you can tell how earnest he is when he tries his best to impress Iwaizumi, addressing him as a squire does to his knight. You find it endearing and tease him endlessly over it, but you can’t blame him; not when his superior officer looks like that after all. Aone, the silent monk from before, is an elusive one, but kind. You don’t appreciate their need to have him erect a sphere to trap you each time you sleep, but come to find that it’s not as bad when you hear him apologize every time he puts one up. You get along with the cat about as well as one would think. Hinata constantly floundering towards you seems to irk Kenma even more, often casting protective glances over the young warrior (really, Kenma should understand by now that him floundering like some territorial mother cat only makes you desperately wish to provoke him further).

Your Little One is perhaps the oddest one out of all of them, which is weird to note when he acts closest to the normal standard. Iwaizumi keeps you near during the day, claims that he’ll be able to watch you better this way. Not as if you have any intention of running away from them, you aren’t stupid enough to think that the curse on these bracelets will be easy to break. And yet the knight still keeps you company even during his chores. Iwaizumi lets you have his cloak even if the glamour charm you’re still able to cast on yourself has let you hide your wings, and makes sure to pick the sweeter berries you like when he can find them. He sleeps next to your little shield confinement, assuring the others should you be able to break out of Aone’s defenses, he’d make sure to catch you. You know for a fact it’s because he wants to make sure that you are comfortable in the tiny space you’ve been sentenced to, noting he’s had a word with the white-haired monk more than a few times about widening the sphere, you aren’t going anywhere. 

Spending decades with the literal king of demons and others of the species has clearly not done anything to that kind, clever little boy you met. You sometimes wish he would have ended up a little meaner, or more aloof, it would have saved you the trouble of hating him even just a tad bit because of these stupid, stupid bindings.

In spite of all his gentle gestures, Iwaizumi is adamantly refusing to talk to you. You think it might be because of the lingering after-effects of Oikawa’s mark and whatever other things the brunette’s probable minions have conjured up magically. You refuse to think it’s because the knight (ex-knight? Had he even been formally debased? What does that make him now?) simply does not want to speak with you. There’s a constriction in your chest that is entirely unfamiliar and unwanted at the thought of it, and you brush it off easily to the back of your head. Years, decades, and perhaps almost centuries of micromanaging your feelings have made it easy for you to keep unneeded concerns like these out of consciousness.

What’s more important right now, after all, is where the fuck are these idiots taking you?

Hinata whines in front of you, practically dragging his boots on the dirt path. You aren’t the only one absolutely exhausted by your days of travel. 

“How much longer is it?” Hinata asks, you can almost imagine the pout on his face as he does so. Aone has offered to carry him when the young warrior first started complaining, but Hinata has continuously refused. He seems to be embarrassed by the thought of not carrying his own weight but apparently not embarrassed enough to stop whining. He turns to Kenma, tugging on the magician’s white robes. “Kenma, it doesn’t usually take this long.”

Kenma obviously looks worse for wear, not at all used to long trips and roughing it out. You infer that if the witch isn’t so averse to physical contact not initiated by himself, he might have taken up Aone’s offer.

“It shouldn’t,” Kenma throws a wary look over his shoulder at you. “We’re just being cautious this time, given our current…companions.”

You don’t bother to dignify the cat with a response, and cross your arms over your chest instead.

Kageyama jogs back from scouting up ahead, carrying what looks like a fawn over his shoulders. You wrinkle your nose in disgust, not a fan of freshly caught wild game. Iwaizumi and he exchange a few words up at the front of the group before they both nod grimly. The former knight pauses, and turns to address the group, looking like he never left the royal guard.

“Change of plans,” Iwaizumi’s voice is level and firm, as if talking to a full fledged army instead of a handful of mercenaries. “We stick to the trees and the shadows until we reach the village, no more stop overs.” Kenma visibly winces, glancing down the hem of his formerly pristine white robes. Iwaizumi ignores him and adjusts his pack on his shoulder. “A small squadron of Seijoh’s army was spotted in the next clearing a few meters from here. We do not engage, do you understand me?”

The rest nod back an affirmative but you scoff audibly enough that Iwaizumi actually locks eyes on you.

“ _Or_ , you could not do that, and get rid of the problem right now.” You challenge him with a raise of your brows. “I’ve been in these woods longer than any of you kids have been alive; how easy would it be to launch a surprise attack?” You quickly put a disarmingly sweet smile and tilt your head towards the archer by his side. “Kageyama would be able to snipe them easy, wouldn’t you, boy?”

Kageyama flushes under your compliments, averting his gaze. Iwaizumi steps in front of him, a little protective, and scowls at you.

“Not a chance,” he spits out and jerks his head to the side, where he motions the rest of the group to move towards as soon as possible. Kageyama glances back at the two of you, but ushers the rest to continue their walking as quickly as possible. Iwaizumi hesitates a little, his armor creaking just a tad as he tears his gaze away from you and lands towards the bracelets you now call a prison instead. “Just…trust me on this one. It would be safer, I promise.”

You feel your arms drop to your sides at his soft tone. You wonder if any of Oikawa’s minion sorcerers somehow taught Iwaizumi to use enchantment magic, the gravity of his words sinking into your very core. You shift awkwardly from foot to foot, reluctant to outright agree with him; your pride won’t let you. Instead, you make a noncommittal noise and huff out, puffing your chest and drawing your shoulders back into a semblance of confidence, “Now that I think about it, it would be a tremendous waste of resources.” 

For the first time since you have been captured, Iwaizumi smiles gratefully at you (or your compliance, whatever; the point is you can feel your cheeks heating up at the sight of it).

You tense at an unfamiliar scent in the air drawing nearer. You glance quickly towards Iwaizumi and see him, back rigid and eyes staring at the dirt road ahead of you. One of his hands rests on the hilt of his sword, the other stretched out in front of you, motioning for you to stay back and stay hidden. Iwaizumi’s eyes flit towards you and then to the shrubs to your right. You don’t hesitate, quietly sneaking towards the shadows with Iwaizumi right behind you.

The two of you crouch low and stay hidden, knowing the squadron is still a couple of meters ahead, but not willing to risk it. You shift your head to look at him, committing the serious and focused look on his face to memory.

“This would be over in a second if you released me,” you whisper harshly. You jiggle one bracelet from your wrist to distract him momentarily. Iwaizumi gives you a deadpan stare before he scoffs. 

“Do you honestly think I’m that much of a fool?”

“I think you’re a very clever boy who knows that my full strength is what we need to get out of here alive,” you give him your best wide-eye look, as if it would convince him. When he doesn’t even dignify you with a response, you snort. “It was worth a try.” You grin at him. You can tell he’s trying his best not to smirk back, but the sound of heavy boots grab his full focus back towards the dirt road.

You can only see three men walking about, two wearing full leather armor shuffling in front and another one donning a sorcerer’s cloak hanging a few steps behind. A scouting group, you reckon. The sorcerer has what looks like a permanent frown on his face, holding the staff protectively in front of him. He’s not that much of a threat, you think; perhaps the rowan bracelets are also blocking your ability to sense a person’s magical capacities, but he doesn’t look so dangerous — gloomy, but not too bad. 

(Some voice in the back of your head tells you not to underestimate him, isn’t that how you best your own enemies?)

Your eyes flit over to the two warriors sluggishly moving in front of him and feel a chill run down your spine. There’s something weird about the way they move, and even with diluted senses, you can almost feel the dark magical energy rolling off of them in waves. When you squint to try to get a better look, you notice that they aren’t quite human at all even. Their skin, from this distance, looks to be a dull grey but you aren’t quite sure. You frown and turn to look at Iwaizumi for any sort of explanation, but his attention is trained on the small scouting group almost in front of you, jaw tense and hand gripping his sword enough for his knuckles to turn white.

“Kunimi,” he mumbles, more to himself than to you. “What the fuck is Oikawa doing sending in untrained soldiers all the way out here?”

“One of your friends from the army?” You question. Hinata and the rest are not here to overhear Iwaizumi’s secrets from before he had gone rogue. 

“No,” his eyes are hard and his scowl deepens. Iwaizumi has always been one whose restraint and general patience is comparable to the monks of Date, but you can almost feel it snap, hanging by a thread. “He’s a scholar, and was one of the king’s envoys to Nekoma.”

Your own brows furrow in confusion. You have heard tales of the demon king and his army, but years spent on your own in your fairy ring has left you admittedly a little behind on news. If the king of Aobajohsai is recruiting civilians in his ranks, you wonder just how bad the actual situation could be. Tension has been brewing between the humans and underworldlings for centuries, but the official status of war has only ever been recently announced (the Fae have always avoided anything to do with petty conflicts like this).

You almost ask Iwaizumi to tell you more about the war, but agile as ever, he manoeuvres to quickly stop you from peeping even one more word. His arms are around your frame, pulling you close with a hand over your mouth. You’re about to scream in protest when you begin to notice that the sound of footsteps had stopped. The both of you tense, and you can feel Iwaizumi’s heart beat rapidly from your position. His face does not betray any sign of nerves however, still stone cold and attention focused on the small squadron only a few feet in front of your hiding spot.

You chance a glance and break out into a cold sweat when you notice the two warriors turning their attention in your general direction. Their eyes are unfocused, with a dark, otherworldly sheen to them but they seem to be staring straight towards the both of you. Iwaizumi seems to have figured out as well and holds his breath.

You wait, those precious few seconds seeming to last for eternities as they continue to stare at your general direction.

Finally, you hear a scoff and a loud whack. When you glance at the scouts again, the sorcerer named Kunimi seems to have become impatient at his two other companions. He growls, “Faster, you worthless sacks of meat.” You notice that the two don’t respond, not to the powerful impact of Kunimi’s staff nor his scathing words. “I want to get out of this bloody forest before the sun sets.” 

The two begin to shuffle forward again, away from your location. Kunimi pauses and glances over the shrubs before shrugging and continuing his supervision. You wait for a few heartbeats before Iwaizumi deems that their group is far away enough to let go of his hand from your mouth. His arms are still curled protectively around you, waiting for a few more moments before he instructs the both of you to begin moving.

You scramble off of him immediately, but not willing to risk standing to your full height in case those soldiers decide to head back. Instead, you brush off the dirt from your (Iwaizumi’s, rather) cloak. “What were those…things?” You ask. You’re sure they weren’t human, but they were not exactly demons either. Iwaizumi avoids your questioning look with a grimace.

“I’m not sure I’m the one who can explain it,” Iwaizumi admits, grabbing your arm again, as if you have any plans of running away now that it was just the two of you alone. “For now, we need to start moving again.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> would you look at that!!! a semblance of a plot!!!!
> 
> thank you for everyone interested enough to give time to a little indulgent fic u v u damned if i do, damned if i don't will be updated soon!


	4. be wary of poisoned truths

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> you and Iwaizumi finally arrive at the Den. lore happens.

The moon has already risen high when the two of you stumble into a quaint little village near the cliffside. Iwaizumi hears the waves below crashing against the face of the cliff, the sound an odd lullaby that he’s learned to fall asleep to the months he’s spent doing odd jobs as a mercenary. The village is asleep, with dim lantern lights illuminating the path towards the rickety watchtower that serves as their base. He can barely make out shadowy figures roaming the gardens in front when it becomes larger and larger until Hinata comes barreling in like a thunderstorm shouting his name.

“Iwaizumi-san!” He cries out, tackling him with enough force to actually make him shift his stance in the slightest. Kageyama jogs up behind him, not nearly as affectionate, but eyes straining and brows furrowed in worry. Hinata pays no mind to the fact that the brunette hasn’t responded, and continues to almost bawl out. “We thought we lost you! I wanted to go back to search, but Kenma said it was too dark out and we had to wait ’til morning. But I didn’t want to! There were scary guys up ahead, we caught sight of them. What if they’d done something to you and the pretty fairy?”

Hinata rambles for a few more moments as Iwaizumi tries to pry the younger boy from his person. Kageyama doesn’t speak, but his lips quiver in the slightest, as if he wants to tell him that he, too, had been concerned. He gives him a solemn nod instead, a silent thank you for getting the rest of their party to safety.

“How touching,” he hears you mumble sarcastically. Your voice seems to remind Hinata of said pretty fairy and the young man quickly shifts his attention to you. Hinata immediately tackles you, and Iwaizumi knows how unused you are to physical touches that it sends the both of you down the ground. You shoot the smaller boy an irritated look, but Iwaizumi knows for a fact that if it did bother you, you would have flicked off his tackle with ease. Hinata has always had the uncanny ability to charm people into liking him, Iwaizumi reckons he could even charm a Fae like you in less than a week.

As soon as Hinata is occupied, he turns to Kageyama. “Is Sawamura in yet? There are some things we need to talk about.”

Kageyama nods with slight apprehension, sharp eyes shifting back to the edge of the forest. He reaches out to grab the pack from Iwaizumi’s shoulders, a bad habit from squire duties most likely (Iwaizumi wonders just how badly the knights and his fellow squires have treated the young man for him to constantly respond this way). He grips his worn sack tighter, a wry smile on his face as if to reassure him that he doesn’t need to help him out, he can carry his own weight. Kageyama flushes and steps back, wordlessly turning back to the mercenary’s den.

The den must have been what seems to be a keep during its glory days, the whole village possibly a summer castle built near the edge of the forest for leisure (or hiding, who knows. It wasn’t a bad location for both, Iwaizumi admits). There are remnants of fortified walls surrounding the area and dictating the village’s territory, not tall enough to hide, but not high enough to casually jump over either. The damages are old, older than you perhaps; the people here have learned to navigate through the ruins of grandeur for a simpler life of farms and taverns and inns. Faint traces of magic still litter the area, you’ve told him once the both of you have made it out off the thicket of trees, which back ups Kenma’s theory as to why this place doesn’t seem to have been touched by the current war.

Iwaizumi honestly likes it: the people are kind and warm, the village itself unassuming and quiet. It reminds him of the village he grew up in before transferring to the capital. He never really did like the cold winters up in the castle, his only source of warmth being stolen nights in the prince’s den. He tries to erase the thoughts from his head, attempting to focus on the task at hand.

He looks over his shoulder and notes how you’ve managed to stand but are unable to pry yourself from Hinata’s childish worries. There’s a clear grimace on your face. When he catches your eyes, he can practically feel your ego breaking as it debates on whether or not you should be crying for help getting rid of the jumpy mercenary. Iwaizumi snorts, unable to help the small grin that makes its way onto his lips, which causes a momentary shift in your demeanor, one that he isn’t sure he has the right words for. For a moment, you looked infinitely younger and he wonders slightly if it’s because of fairy magic or just the moon’s light playing tricks on his eyes.

Kageyama pushes the heavy doors to the den open to reveal a makeshift dining hall and living room taking the bulk of the space of the first floor. He can smell the familiar scent always somehow wafting through the area, that weird mix of slightly burnt meat and lingering tobacco filling his lungs with a warmth he hasn’t expected to feel so easily. 

Sugawara, as always, mans the bar up front, providing the comfort of routine as he is the first to welcome them back home with a refreshing smile. “Fancy a poison for ya tonight, Iwaizumi-san?” Sugawara asks, drying one of the glasses they use. Iwaizumi returns the smile, albeit smaller and more exhausted than he would like it to be.

Iwaizumi never really completely understands if the apothecarist means alcohol, or literal poison at times. Sawamura once recalled a time that the usually mild-mannered young man with silver hair did serve a little laxative like brew for a rude customer (“He had it coming,” he remembers Sugawara defending himself once Sawamura is finished with his retelling. The glint in his eyes tell the former knight he isn’t even a hint remorseful). Still, he nods and accepts, as he usually does, “Something milder tonight, it’s been a tiring few days.” 

Sugawara grins, already reaching for the barrel of mead beside him. “Gotcha,” 

Kageyama takes this as his cue to excuse himself to call for Sawamura, insisting on taking Iwaizumi’s steel chest plate back to the armory they keep around back. When Iwaizumi finally settles down, he groans at the feeling of being able to stretch and move more freely in just his civilian clothes. Sugawara passes him his glass of mead with a small knowing smile before leaning on the bar countertop, “Glad you got back in one piece,” he comments. “So where’s the prisoner?”

Iwaizumi shoots him a sharp glare at the choice of words, bringing up the ale to his lips instead of making any sort of quick rebuttal. The barkeep has the decency to at least look a little sheepish at his remark. “Under Hinata’s care,” Iwaizumi sets his glass down and takes another glance around. “And the others?”

“Kenma’s been resting up since they got back,” Sugawara reaches under the bar to produce a cleaning cloth, wiping the wooden surface aimlessly. “Aone-san went up to the cliffside again. Sawamura is off inspecting some of the new goods that came in.” Iwaizumi nods faintly as he explains. Sugawara’s usual bright brown eyes flicker down a little when he speaks once more, “Ukai-san still hasn’t gotten back, and no word from him or Asahi at all. It’s been a few days since they left for the capital.”

Iwaizumi understands Sugawara’s worry, he truly does. He is intimately acquainted with the concept of found families, having immediately gotten one as soon as he joined the army. 

He wonders, how the idiots he calls his friends might be doing. Something akin to dread surfaces in the pit of his stomach, to which he squashes down almost immediately, grateful that Sawamura chooses this time to shoulder his way back into the den. 

“Kageyama told me you were back.” Sawamura is nonchalant as he drops a heavy bag he can only assume are supplies for Sugawara’s concoctions, both for leisure and battle. The silver haired young man huffs out, annoyed that Sawamura seems to be telling him to lug it all off himself. “I also met the fairy,” he muses, the unsure smile on his lips telling Iwaizumi he has trouble finding the right words to say next. “Are they always that…”

“Haughty?”

“…uppity,” Sawamura settles with a strained smile, and orders a mug of his own. “I sincerely don’t understand how it helps, but Ukai-san seems to think it a good idea.” 

Iwaizumi also isn’t too keen on the idea, refusing to believe dragging along those who live a life of neutrality is a necessity to win the war.

“Faes are formidable creatures, Daichi.” Sugawara seems to read his though process and inserts himself into the conversation. The bartender passes Daichi his mug before setting one up for himself. “Remember the attack on Nekoma a few years back? They say Nohebi’s forces were repelled by a single sprite.”

That fairytale has reached even the mountains of Aobajohsai. Iwaizumi remembers Hanamaki sharing the news with a mix of surprise and awe, wondering if that kind of defensive power is exactly what the kingdom needs to face off against powerful invaders. Iwaizumi remembers lecturing his fellow knight after that, angrily telling the squadron that they shouldn’t be relying on the strengths of outsiders to protect their kingdom. What good is a knight if they couldn’t even fulfill their duties to protect their king?

How ironic, then, to find himself in need of the Faes powers after all this time.

“How certain are we that they’ll even be willing to help?”

“We aren’t,” Iwaizumi takes another large chug of his mead, words blunt and grim. It’s not the kind of news you’d like to hear when you’re doing your best in a war you never wished for, but Iwaizumi has always been nothing if not honest. “If you ask me, it would have been smarter to wait and attempt to barter an alliance with House Shiratorizawa instead of relying on a single entity.”

Sawamura sighs, deep and heavy; Iwaizumi can almost feel the weight he burdens himself with when he watches the normally sturdy and reliable fellow crumple the tiniest bit when he lets out his breath. Iwaizumi has known of Sawamura even before he defected from Seijoh, knows him as the former King’s Guard Captain of the Miyagi Kingdom who left the army following the kingdom’s princess’ kidnapping. He understands the brunette’s worries, and as a former general himself, can possible understand how heavy a task Sawamura seems dedicated on giving himself.

“If House Shiratorizawa goes on the offensive, thousands will be swept up in unnecessary bloodshed.” Sawamura’s voice is quiet and dark, brown eyes staring determinedly somewhere farther away from here. “It isn’t easier moving in such a small group, but it’s safer for the people if we finish this faster than their forces can mobilize.”

“You wonder why they haven’t,” Iwaizumi comments flippantly before downing the last of his glass. “Considering how personal of an offense this is to their noble house.” He scoffs into his empty cup. “Kidnapping the heir’s fiancee of all people. Bunch of idiots…”

Both Sawamura and Sugawara tense, pausing and looking awkwardly around the tavern.

Ah.

Iwaizumi personally doesn’t really know all of the details, but he has heard of rumours (even the mountains have ears, and the nobles often have nothing to do but gossip away while the common folk work for their lives, after all). He’s heard of the stories of a scandalous affair; of an engaged princess and her personal guard, who has nothing to his name and rose the ranks with nothing but his skill with a sword and deadly tenacity. Knows now for it to be partially true, if the King’s Guard Captain, exiled and stripped of his title for failing to guard his liege, has found employment in a run down little mercenary group all in order to save a kidnapped princess.

Iwaizumi wants to apologize, knows that it’s partially his fault, but understands that if he is to be found out now, all of his work would have been for nothing and he’d be back to square one. So he changes the topic instead.

“There was a patrol group near the border.” He shifts the topic off awkwardly, motioning to Sugawara for a refill. “Which should be standard, really. But those guards were barely even human.”

“What does that even mean?” Sugawara passes him his mug back, but his pretty face scrunches up in confusion. “Were they were-creatures, like the myth? Or part of the Faes?”

“No, they _looked_ human but…” Iwaizumi suppresses a shudder by taking another hefty chug from his mug. Those lifeless eyes that stared back at him haunt his thoughts more than he’d like to admit. “The Fae says they were surrounded by dark magic; extremely _old_ , forbidden magic.”

Sugawara and Sawamura grimace and share a look.

“Do you think Kenma would know something about it?” Sawamura asks, his own drink forgotten now as he shifts his attention fully to look at him. Iwaizumi shrugs and makes a noncommittal grunt of approval.

“It’s worth a shot. The kid knows his stuff.”

“Then—”

Sawamura  is cut off by the loud banging that resound throughout the makeshift dining area. The three turn to see the heavy doors of the mercenary’s den blown wide open with a loud Hinata almost dragging you in. It doesn’t even matter that he’s shorter than you, it’s obvious to all three that he’s pulling you along on one arm with surprising ease as he seems to be spouting nonsense about the place “…and finally this is the Den! We all live in the upper floors and oh-!! Captain, you’re here!”

Hinata drops your arm and does a sloppy salute; Iwaizumi has grown accustomed to seeing the three-fingers raised to their temple gesture that those from Miyagi seem to do in contrast to Seijoh’s swift two fist thump on their chest. Sawamura grins easily in return, the sharp motion of his hand telling Hinata to be at ease seemingly diffusing whatever weird tension that had been sitting in the air of their conversation. Iwaizumi’s green eyes drift towards you, whose arms are crossed over your chest. He wonders if it’s because it’s a symbol of your annoyance or perhaps it’s a precaution in case Hinata takes one of your arms again to drag into the continuation of his tour.

“I was just showing the pretty fairy over the town! Our last stop is the Den.” Hinata explains, beaming in pride as he does so. You seethe from beside the smaller male.

“ _Stop calling me that_.”

“Well, you never really gave us your name!” 

You scoff and look at the orange haired bubble of sunshine as if he has grown two heads. “Are you _daft_? Of course I wouldn’t!”

“Then you’re staying as the pretty fairy.” Hinata looks absolutely proud of himself, smug grin threatening to take over half of his face already. You roll your eyes and mumble something under your breath, if Iwaizumi would have to guess, it doesn’t seem to be something very friendly.

Sawamura chuckles and raises a glass to the two by the entrance. “Welcome to the Den. We met earlier. This is Sugawara, by the way, he manages this place almost by himself.”

The silver haired male raises a hand. You sneer and tilt your head to the side, drawling out a snippy “ _Charmed_.”

“Her personality seems atrocious alright.” Sugawara mumbles under his breath, the painted-on friendly smile still on his face catches Iwaizumi off-guard and the former knight almost chokes on his drink. The gesture doesn’t go unnoticed by you, because Iwaizumi catches the narrowing of your eyes as you stare at him. He shrugs in reply which only seems to further make you bristle. 

“ _Anyhow_ , I’m sure you’re tired.” Sawamura, ever the peacemaker, steps in at the right time. “We’ll have a room ready for you soon, if Hinata can just—”

“Oh, oh! The pretty fairy can stay with me and Kenma!”

“ _Absolutely not—_ ”

“But, but—”

“Don’t bother, Shrimpy, I’ll keep watch.” Iwaizumi turns to you, surprised when you don’t look as shocked and instead have a dangerously playful smirk dancing on your lips. You look like you’re about to make a quip he’ll probably regret and when you open your mouth and the brunette cuts it off before you have a chance to do so, “We can’t have you burning your hands off trying to escape again.”

You frown, but drop your crossed arms to your sides. “I’m not an idiot. But that does seem more tempting than having to bunk with the cat and the child.”

Iwaizumi snorts, finishes off his drink and stands. He motions towards the stairs, “Come on then.”

“Iwaizumi—” Sawamura calls for the knight and the brunette stops at the foot of the staircase. Sawamura looks a little hesitant with the extra ears suddenly in on the conversation. Iwaizumi knows the feeling all too well and nods stiffly in understanding.

“We’ll talk about it when Kenma recovers. He’s of no use when woken up prematurely.” 

You look at Iwaizumi curiously, but make no effort to ask, it seems, because you briskly pass him by and carry on walking upwards until he’s left to watch the soft swish of your cloak disappear into the hallway.

**Author's Note:**

> LiStEN!!!! i love the final haikyuu quest and i got into researching about the fae and wow :')))) i'm so excited!! this is going to be multi-chapter with an /actual storyline/. i'm hyped!!


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